


Wake Me Up Before You Go

by MyriahKamm



Category: Free!
Genre: 2016 Summer Olympics, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coma!AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 20:23:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1912584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyriahKamm/pseuds/MyriahKamm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Rin and Rei are jogging one morning, Rei becomes terribly ill. A severe case of pneumonia eventually sends him into a coma. While he's in the coma, his friends come to visit him. Rin in particular makes some very important declarations to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started off as an angsty drabble on Tumblr and turned into a full-blown fic before I knew it. I promise the WHOLE thing isn't sad!
> 
> (Also, eh, crappy title, but whatever.)

It had started on one of their early morning jogs. Rei had felt strange that day, and hadn’t been able to finish the jog because halfway through he fell into a coughing fit that refused to subside. He’d only barely heard Rin on the phone with Makoto-senpai; Rin had been panicking, but it had seemed like Makoto-senpai had calmed him down.

In time, the ambulance had come. Rin had ridden with Rei to the hospital. By the time Rei had been aware of what was going on again, everyone was standing around his bed: Rin, of course, Makoto-senpai, Nagisa-kun, Haruka-senpai, Gou-san, Amakata-sensei and Sasabe-sensei. It had turned out he had a severe case of pneumonia and would have to be hospitalized for a while.

That had been three months ago, and Rei had’t been getting any better. In fact, he had seemed to be getting steadily worse. He had been keeping up with school work as best as he could; Nagisa-kun would bring him homework every day to help him stay on track. His ability to focus had ebbed away more and more each day, though, until he could no longer focus on school work.

No matter how bad it got, his friends had always been there. At least one of them would visit every day. His most common visitor had been Rin, which had been surprising to him. He’d expected Rin to be focused on his training, on bettering his times, and had told him as such, at which point Rin had intimated that making it to the Olympics meant nothing if Rei couldn’t be there to cheer him on.

That was the last conversation Rei Ryugazaki had had with anyone.

There was no way to accurately describe the hell he now lived in. He was a prisoner within his own body, unable to respond in any way or even move. One evening he’d been talking with Rin about why he should continue training for the Olympics, and the next morning he hadn’t been able to move, hadn’t been able to speak, hadn’t even been able to open his eyes. The upside was that his breathing was better now. The downside was that it had been two weeks since he’d fallen into this coma. And it was seriously a living hell.

His only solace came when one of his friends stopped by to visit. The first time one of them came to talk to him—Nagisa-kun, of course—he couldn’t believe it. It shocked him even more the next time it happened, and the time after that, and when it continued steadily for these past two weeks.

They really cared. They cared enough to come talk to him when he couldn’t respond in any way. They cared enough to take time out of their days to check up on the hopeless, unresponsive, silent, motionless vegetable he’d become.

"Yo."

It was Rin. If Rei could react, he would be sitting up and staring. Rin hadn’t come to visit him since he’d fallen into the coma.

"…sorry I haven’t been by to see you," Rin said softly. His voice was trembling, Rei could hear it. "I’ve been…busy."

There was a long pause. Rei could practically feel the anxiety the older teen was feeling. It filled the room with a tension that, in his current state, Rei had no way to alleviate.

"Dammit, Rei!"

Very suddenly, he felt Rin slap him. And it  _hurt_. Rin definitely hadn’t held back at all, and Rei couldn’t do a thing to nurse his reddening cheek.

Just as suddenly as the slap had come, he felt Rin’s arms encircle him. Rin was leaning over him, his face pressed against Rei’s chest. And after only a few seconds, a dampness began to spread across the hospital gown Rei was wearing.

"I’ve b-been training, okay?" Rin sobbed quietly into his chest. "I’ve been t-training really hard. I’m g-going to swim for y-you. I’m going to m-make it t-to the Olympics. A-and I’m going to  _win_  for you. So…so wake up. Pl-please, wake up.”

_For me?_  Rei thought, wishing he could react, wishing he could comfort the would-be rival who had so easily become his best friend.  _Why for me? Why am I so important to him?_

Almost as though Rin could hear his thoughts, Rei quickly received an answer. Rin lifted his head off of Rei’s chest. A moment later, there was a pressure against his lips, light and tentative, slightly damp. It took him longer than he wanted to admit to realize that Rin had just given him a kiss.

"I’ve got a qualifying meet coming up," Rin said, his words punctuated now and then by sniffles. "I’ll be back when I can. You’d better wake up soon, you idiot."

Rei heard Rin walk out of the room, leaving him alone.

_Damn this coma,_  Rei thought, the feeling of Rin’s lips against his still fresh in his mind. He wanted more than anything to run after Rin, tell him he was proud of him for continuing his training, cheer him on. He wanted more than anything to tell Rin that, if anyone could make it to the Olympics and win just because he willed it to happen, it was him. He wanted more than anything to see Rin’s face, sharp teeth, quirked eyebrow and all.

He wanted more than  _anything_  to return that kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto, Haruka, and Nagisa visit Rei in the hospital so they can all watch Rin try to qualify for the Olympics.

"Hi, Rei."

Makoto-senpai’s voice rang through the monotonous beeping of medical equipment around Rei. He was glad that one of his friends was there; he was starting to go a little mad simply listening to the silence punctuated by beeps and the occasional commotion from outside his hospital room due to medical emergencies or something like that. And there was only so much he could think about time and again without having access to books and other information to bolster his ideas.

"Good news, Mako-chan!" Nagisa’s running gait met Rei’s ears next. "The nurse said we can watch it in here! And Haru-chan is getting drinks for all of us!"

"That’s great. Rei, we’re going to watch Rin’s qualifying race. We all thought you might want to at least listen in."

Rei could hear the gentle smile in Makoto-senpai’s voice. He missed being able to  _see_  that smile. He felt Makoto-senpai’s hand on his shoulder. It was often helpful for him to feel physical contact from his friends. It helped him to be sure he wasn’t just imagining their voices.

"I got us all green tea," Haruka-senpai said from what Rei could tell was the doorway. He came into the room slowly, the sound of a rustling plastic bag joining his footsteps. "How’s Rei?"

"He actually looks really good today," Makoto-senpai replied.

"Maybe he’ll be so excited when Rin-chan wins that he’ll wake up!" Nagisa-kun chirped, sounding as enthusiastic as ever.

"I don’t quite think that’s how comas work, Nagisa," Makoto-senpai said, sounding apologetic for having to deliver this news.

"You told Rin-chan we’d be watching, right, Haru-chan?"

"Yeah," Haruka-senpai responded. "He was adamant that we watch with Rei. Said he would have a message for him when he wins."

"Oh, Rin-chan sounds confident!"

"He  _has_  been training pretty hard,” Makoto-senpai agreed. “I believe in him.”

_Me too,_  Rei thought. He  _knew_  Rin would qualify because he’d promised Rei he would. He  _knew_  Rin would do it because he wouldn’t break a promise, especially not such an important one.

He heard the television hum to life and heard one of the others flipping through the channels. Eventually, the unforgettable sounds of a swim meet filled his ears. He felt Nagisa-kun settle onto the bed next to him. Makoto-senpai sat in a chair next to his bed—he heard the chair creak a bit as it took the brunette’s weight—and he was certain Haruka-senpai was standing nearby.

It took Rei a few minutes to pick out the voice of the announcer on the television. He wasn’t saying anything very interesting at the moment, mostly just recapping races from the previous day and discussing who had qualified for what events in the Olympics. Finally, he started talking about the next event: the 200 meter butterfly.

"Rin-chan’s heat is coming up!" Nagisa-kun cried excitedly.

If Rei could have smiled, he would have. He was thrilled that Rin was focusing on his butterfly. He thought Rin looked  _much_  more beautiful when swimming their shared stroke than when he swam freestyle, not to mention the fact that Rin was actually better at butterfly than he was at freestyle. At the same time, he was a little disheartened by the whole thing, because he wouldn’t be able to actually  _watch_  Rin swim.

Before Rei knew it, the race had started. He only had the announcer’s commentary and his friend’s reactions to go by, since he couldn’t see anything—being in the stupid coma and all—but from what he could gather, Rin was doing well. He pulled into third by the end of the first 100 meters.

"Look at him go!" Nagisa-kun exclaimed. "I’ve never seen Rin-chan swim like this!"

"I have," Haruka-senpai said. It sounded to Rei like he was probably smiling, although he couldn’t be completely sure. "In our relays. Back in elementary school and during regionals last year."

"You’re right," Makoto-senpai added. "But he seems more determined."

"It’s because of Rei-chan," Nagisa-kun said matter-of-factly.

That statement struck Rei. Had Rin told the rest of their friends that he was swimming for Rei, now? Or had Nagisa-kun just figured it out? Despite how carefree and clueless Nagisa-kun pretended to be most of the time, Rei knew he was actually very insightful and understood his friends incredibly well. There was a good chance he’d figured it out on his own.

"He’s in second!" Makoto-senpai cried. "Haru, he’s going to win!"

"He’s in first, he’s in first!" Nagisa-kun grabbed Rei’s hand. "Oh, Rei-chan, I wish you could see this!"

_So do I,_  Rei thought. He could feel the excitement the others were feeling, infectious enough to make him hopeful as well. He wasn’t quite  _excited_ , but who could really get excited while being in a coma?

"He did it!" his three teammates yelled in unison. Nagisa-kun squeezed Rei’s hand excitedly. Moments later, one of the reporters was speaking with Rin.

"Congratulations on your time, Matsuoka!" the reporter said. "You’ve qualified for the Olympic team! It seemed like you kept pushing and pushing until the very end!"

"Well, I had to qualify," Rin said, a bit winded. He’d definitely been pushing himself. Rei felt his chest tighten at the sound of Rin’s voice. It subsided quickly, but the feeling was…indescribable. "I promised a friend I would. Can I give him a message?"

"Of course!"

"Rei! I’m swimming at the Olympics for you! You’d better be there to cheer me on!"

Again, if Rei could have smiled, he would have. He didn’t really know how he felt about Rin swimming for him, rather than following his own dreams. Heck, maybe he was just using Rei as a motivating factor, an inspiration to push him further. He supposed he would have to ask if he ever woke up.

"Whoa!" Nagisa-kun exclaimed, his hand leaving Rei’s quickly. "Rei-chan?"

"What is it, Nagisa?" Makoto-senpai asked, clearly worried by the alarmed tone to the blonde’s voice.

"I swear I just felt Rei-chan’s hand twitch!"

Rei heard Makoto-senpai stand swiftly, the chair he’d been sitting in scraping against the floor loudly as it scooted back away from him. After a moment, Rei could feel the closeness of his three teammates as they crowded around his bed. Haruka-senpai’s fingers brushed against his arm, then rested there. He could tell it was Haruka-senpai’s hand, because it was a touch he’d only felt a rare few times, light yet somehow still firm.

"Rei?" Haruka-senpai asked softly, as though afraid of speaking his name.

But Rei still couldn’t move, couldn’t open his eyes, couldn’t respond. He wasn’t even sure he’d really moved his hand, to be honest. Part of him was sure he had, but another part of him was sure Nagisa-kun had been imagining things.

Five tense minutes passed before he could practically feel Makoto-senpai, Haruka-senpai, and Nagisa-kun deflating. It was obvious that they were all disappointed that he hadn’t responded to them, which made  _him_  feel bad, too. It wasn’t like he  _wanted_  to be stuck like this.

"He’ll wake up," Makoto-senpai assured the others warmly. "After all, he’s got to come to the Olympics with us to cheer Rin on, right?"

"Right!" Nagisa-kun agreed. "We’ll be back to see you tomorrow, Rei-chan! We’re going to see Rin-chan! We’ll tell him you were watching, okay?"

Rei felt the blonde pat his arm. Then he felt Makoto-senpai’s hand squeeze his own for a moment.

"See you, Rei," Haruka-senpai called.

The three of them left his hospital room, leaving Rei to wonder if he actually  _had_  moved his hand. Maybe, he thought, he should try moving more often. Maybe he should try harder.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Makoto is doing some physical therapy with Rei, Rin stops by to visit and talk about the Olympics.

Rei felt his left leg bending slowly as Makoto-senpai guided his knee toward his chest. When Makoto-senpai returned his leg to its resting spot on the bed, he bent the other leg similarly. He did this, switching between each leg rhythmically, for perhaps fifteen minutes before beginning to massage Rei’s legs carefully.

"Your doctor said it’s important to exercise your muscles to keep them from atrophying," the older teen said. "I hope you don’t mind if I do this occasionally when I come to see you, Rei."

Of  _course_  Rei didn’t mind, especially not with the discovery he’d made recently. He’d been in a coma for a lot longer than he’d thought. At first, he’d been under the impression that he was living day in and day out normally, just without being able to move or react to anything around him. He’d thought he’d been unconscious the normal eight hours each night that he normally slept, and then remained conscious but unresponsive the rest of the day.

Not so, it turned out. He’d been unconscious for  _far_  longer periods. It had been almost two months, rather than the month he’d assumed, since he’d fallen into this coma, a fact he only knew now because Nagisa-kun had mentioned it the last time he’d been there. It seemed that, more often than not, Rei returned to consciousness when his friends came to see him, but rarely otherwise.

"Rin said he would try to stop by today," Makoto-senpai said as he moved up to begin exercising Rei’s arms a bit. "He’s been training with the Olympic team for a while now. I’ll bet he wants to tell you all about it."

Once he finished exercising Rei’s arms, Makoto-senpai began massaging them like he’d done with his legs. In his half-consciousness, Rei thought about how much he appreciated this from the brunette. His hands were firm yet, somehow, simultaneously gentle as they worked at Rei’s disused muscles. Rei wondered if Makoto-senpai had ever done this sort of thing for Haruka-senpai or Nagisa-kun back when they’d been on the swim team in grade school.

The sound of running footsteps filled Rei’s ears. At first, he thought it must be Nagisa-kun, but he quickly cast that thought aside. The footfalls were definitely heavier than Nagisa-kun’s. The owner of the footsteps skidded to a halt outside his room and then came inside.

"Sorry I’m late," Rin said breathlessly. Rei heard him drop a bag to the ground.

He wanted to cry. Rin was actually there. Rin, who was training so hard with the Japanese Olympic swim team, was willing to take time away from that training to actually come see Rei.

"It’s fine," Makoto-senpai assured Rin, the smile evident in his tone. "I just finished exercising him, and I’m sure he’s just glad you’re here at all, anyway. Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure. Anything but soda."

"All right. I’ll be back."

Makoto-senpai’s footsteps moved away from the bed and out of the room. Moments later, Rei felt a hand grip his.

"Yo," Rin said softly. He pulled up a chair next to Rei’s bed and sat down. "This is probably the last time I can come by for a while, Rei. I’ll be swamped with training until the Olympics."

He wrapped his other hand around Rei’s. “I miss you. We’d just started getting to be good friends before this happened, y’know? I’d just…I’d just started falling for you. I was actually planning on confessing that week you got sick. Can you even imagine? Me, confessing.”

Rei heard Rin chuckle uneasily. He wanted to be able to move, to talk to him, to see his face,  _anything_. _  
_

"Anyway. I brought something for you." He heard Rin rummaging around in a bag until he pulled something out of it. Rin lifted Rei’s left arm and slipped something under it. A stuffed toy of some sort. "It’s a shark. This way, I can always be with you, right?" He sighed. Rei imagined him rubbing the back of his neck the way he normally did when he was feeling uneasy. "It’s stupid and sappy, but…I figured it might help."

He sighed again. “Even if you don’t accept my feelings…even if you just want to be friends…that’s fine. I just hope you’ll see the shark as a gift to help you get better. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that if you don’t want.”

Rin tucked the stuffed shark more securely under Rei’s arm. Then he placed his hand on Rei’s arm gently, apparently just wanting to keep that physical contact between them. Rei wanted to hug the stuffed shark closer to him, but he still couldn’t move.

He was shaken from his thoughts as he heard the door creak a bit as someone pushed it open further. Makoto-senpai’s footsteps approached his bed, moving around to the same side Rin was seated by.

"Thanks, Makoto," Rin muttered. Rei heard him open a can of some sort of drink. He took a few gulps of it and set the can aside, his hand finding its way around Rei’s. "…do you think he can hear us?"

"I like to think that he can, at least some of the time," Makoto-senpai said softly. "I always talk to him when I come to see him. And his doctor says that it can’t hurt. Touch especially is important. Talking to him and touching him are more likely to help ground him and bring him back."

Rei wanted to squeeze Rin’s hand. He wanted to let him know that he was still there, that he could hear him, that he wanted him not to worry. He wanted Rin to focus on his swimming rather than on him and his stupid coma.

"I’ve got to get going," Rin said reluctantly, standing up, his chair scraping against the ground as he pushed it back. He touched Rei’s arm next to the stuffed shark. "Get better soon, Rei. I really want you to come watch me swim at the Olympics with the others, okay? It would make me feel better to have you there."

Rei willed his arm to move, his hand to move, hell, he would take a  _finger_  moving at this point and call it good! He wanted out of this bed. He wanted to not have to be taken care of anymore. He wanted to hug Rin and accept his confession, confess himself, start some ridiculously theory-based romantic relationship with him. He wanted to be able to make it to the Olypmics, to cheer on his jogging partner, his trainer, his best friend. He wanted…

"…hey, Makoto, do you see that?" Rin asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Rei felt Makoto-senpai’s hand on his cheek. The brunette’s thumb ran next to his eye, at which point Rei realized he was…crying. Makoto-senpai was wiping his tears away.

"Rei?" Makoto-senpai called to him softly.

He couldn’t move. He wanted to,  _desperately_ , but he couldn’t move, couldn’t respond. This was maddening! He was giving them signs, half the time without meaning to, but they weren’t enough. He couldn’t move!

"Hey." Rin’s voice got closer to him. He felt Rin’s forehead press against his gently. "Don’t you dare cry, you idiot. You’re not allowed. You can cry all you want once you wake up, but not before. Got it?"

_Please,_  Rei thought, focusing on the fingers of his right hand, resting on the bed next to him.  _Just move. Just a finger. That’s all._

But wishing wasn’t enough. He couldn’t get his fingers to move, no matter how much he willed it to happen. For about the hundredth time in the past few weeks, he wished he’d read more about comas before getting sick so he could figure out how the heck to get himself  _out_  of one.

Rin straightened back up, and Rei immediately missed his touch. He heard Rin grab his bag and head for the door.

"I’ll keep you guys updated, okay?" he called back to Makoto-senpai.

"Sounds good. Keep up the great work, Rin."

Rei heard Rin leave the room. He felt like a failure for not being able to move. He felt like a failure for not being able to wake himself up. This was just ridiculous. He either wanted to be fully conscious and fully responsive, or completely unconscious. At least then he wouldn’t have to feel like he was letting his friends down.

"It’s all right, Rei," Makoto-senpai assured him, touching his arm lightly. "I know you’re trying. We all do."

Makoto-senpai tucked the blankets around him snugly.

"Nagisa said he would try to come by in the next couple of days," he said with a smile. "In…let’s see…in about a month, we’ll be heading to the Olympics to watch Rin swim. Rin already got tickets for all of us, including you. If you can’t go, though, I’ll stay here with you and we can watch from here.

"I have to get home and take care of the twins tonight, so I’ll see you later. Get better soon, Rei."

Makoto’s footsteps left the room. Rei would  _never_  forgive himself if Makoto had to skip going to the Olympics because he couldn’t do something as simple as wake up. He had a month to figure something out, a month to find some way to get himself out of this mess.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Makoto, Haruka, and Nagisa are visiting him, Rei finally wakes up from his coma.

"I really hope you wake up soon, Rei-chan," Nagisa-kun said, his tone heavy and near-depressed. "We’re leaving in a week, and we all want you to come with us."

"Stop it, Nagisa," Haruka-senpai chided. The sound of a magazine page turning met Rei’s ears. "You’re just making him feel bad."

"Rei wouldn’t let something so simple bother him that badly, would you, Rei?" Makoto-senpai asked warmly. "You should hear the things Rin says when he’s here to visit. Nagisa’s got  _nothing_  on Rin’s teasing.”

Makoto-senpai was exercising his legs again, but it felt different this time. Rei couldn’t pinpoint precisely  _what_  made it feel different, but it felt…clearer. He could feel Makoto-senpai’s hands more acutely than he’d been able to any of the other times he’d exercised his limbs like this. It was like coming out of the natural sleep paralysis that everyone enters while asleep; it was like that moment when you suddenly regain full feeling after waking up in the morning. _  
_

And then he opened his eyes. It was the strangest thing, if Rei was honest. He’d been trying so hard for months to force himself to wake up, and yet now it was as though he’d simply woken up from a normal night’s sleep. He couldn’t see much more than blurry shapes, as he wasn’t wearing his glasses, but his eyes were  _definitely_  open.

It took a moment or two for any of his friends to notice. Makoto-senpai, since he was the closest to Rei at the moment, was the first to realize what was going on. He gasped loudly, dropping Rei’s leg back to the bed.

"Rei!"

He heard a magazine drop to the floor and heard the sounds of everyone scrambling over to his bedside. He saw their blurry forms leaning over him, and forced a small smile.

"…h…hi…everyone…" he murmured, his voice hoarse from months without use. "…can you…get my glasses?"

With incredible care, Makoto-senpai slid Rei’s glasses onto his face, and he could finally see them clearly. There were tears in Nagisa-kun’s and Makoto-senpai’s eyes, although it was obvious that they were happy tears. Haruka-senpai was smiling, a rare sight on his usually-reserved face.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa-kun cried, wrapping him in an excited embrace, knocking the stuffed shark onto the floor in the process.

Rei lifted his arms shakily to return the embrace. It was difficult; his arms were a bit weaker than he was used to because he hadn’t used them in months. Nagisa-kun pulled back, smiling broadly, eyes bright and cheerful despite the tears in them.

"Oh, Rei-chan!"

"I’ll go get the doctor," Makoto-senpai said, hurrying out of the room.

"I’ll call Rin," Haruka-senpai added, pulling out his phone.

"…no," Rei said, shaking his head. Haruka-senpai looked at him, brow furrowing. "I want…I want to surprise him. At the Olympics."

"You know that Rin-chan made it to the Olympics?" Nagisa-kun asked, wide-eyed.

"I could…hear some things, occasionally," Rei told him with a small smile. "Thank you all…for keeping me informed."

"Don’t talk too much, Rei," Haruka-senpai said softly, a hint of concern in his voice. He got a glass of water that he helped Rei drink.

Within minutes, Makoto-senpai returned with Rei’s doctor. The doctor lifted the head of the bed into a position so Rei could sit up and asked him a bunch of questions, most of which he didn’t really care enough to remember, then outlined a physical therapy plan for him. But what Rei cared about most was whether or not he’d be able to go to the Olympics like he wanted. It meant taking a plane to an unfamiliar country—Brazil, to be exact—and it was only a week away.

"It could be possible, but you’ll need to take special precautions, Ryugazaki-kun," the doctor said with a nod. "You’ll likely still be rather weak physically, so you’ll want to take a wheelchair—we can provide one for you—and a cane if you plan to do any sort of walking. And you’ll need someone with you at all times in case you relapse. It isn’t all that likely that it will happen, but the possibility  _is_  there.”

"I’ll take responsibility for him,  _sensei_ ,” Makoto-senpai said firmly. “We’re all planning to go together and to share hotel rooms, so I’ll look after him.”

The doctor nodded. “Then I don’t see why not. You’ll need to stay here for a couple more days so we can be sure your body is adjusting well after being in a coma for so long, but after that you should be able to go home as long as you have someone staying with you.”

"Thank you,  _sensei_ ,” Rei said, bowing as much as he could in his current position.

"Of course, Ryugazaki-kun. You just focus on regaining your strength now."

The doctor left the room. Rei lifted his arms slowly, bending them a few times to test their strength. Then he did the same with his legs. He couldn’t believe he could actually  _move_. He couldn’t believe he was really, finally  _awake!_

"Feeling okay, Rei-chan?" Nagisa-kun asked anxiously.

"Yes," Rei replied with a smile. "It’s just been a while since I’ve been able to move." He glanced over the side of the bed at the stuffed shark on the ground. "Nagisa-kun, could you grab that for me?"

The blonde picked up the stuffed shark and handed it to Rei. He studied the stuffed toy for a few minutes. It looked half menacing and half adorable and, in Rei’s opinion, was actually quite the perfect representation of Rin himself because of that duplicity. He hugged the shark to his chest, tears filling his eyes.

He couldn’t  _wait_  to see Rin swim at the Olympics. He couldn’t  _wait_  to surprise him. But most of all, he  _could not wait_  to kiss him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei and the others head to the Olympics to watch Rin swim. Rei can't wait to surprise him.

Rei stared at the open suitcase in front of him, trying to decide if he’d forgotten anything. He had plenty of clothes packed for the trip, toothpaste, a toothbrush, his hairbrush, other toiletries, his glasses case, and some books to read on the flight. He glanced at the cane leaning against the wall next to him, frowning. It annoyed him that he still had to use the darn thing, but he wasn’t strong enough yet without it.

_At least I’m done with the wheelchair,_  he thought with a heavy sigh.

He grabbed the stuffed shark he’d gotten from Rin, gave it a quick squeeze, and placed it in the suitcase along with his other belongings. He placed the wrapped gift he had for Rin next to the shark. Closing the suitcase, he zipped it shut, grabbed his cane, and forced himself to his feet while leaning on it. He grabbed the suitcase with his free hand and made his way over to the door, leaving the apartment and locking it behind him.

He waited for five minutes before Nagisa-kun showed up with his own suitcase. Shortly after that, Amakata-sensei pulled up in her car with Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai already inside. They headed to the airport and, before Rei knew it, they were on the plane.

It was a ridiculously long journey, over 24 hours long with one connecting flight, before they reached Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They took a taxi to the hotel, one within a few blocks of the pool they were using for the Olympic events—Rei  _still_  wondered how Rin had managed to get them two rooms there, because he was fairly certain it was one of the hotels the Olympic swimmers were using and should have been off limits to spectators.

They had already decided that Makoto-senpai would share a room with Rei so he could help him out if he needed it. It made sense that they all saw Rei as somewhat fragile—there were times in the past week that he’d  _felt_  pretty fragile, if he was honest—but at the same time it was annoying to know they were being so careful around him. He was awake and relatively healthy now and, although he wasn’t quite back up to full strength yet, he really wished they would see him as the old Rei,  _before_  he’d fallen into a coma.

"Our seats tomorrow are close to the pool, right, Makoto-senpai?" Rei asked, sitting down on his bed and hugging the stuffed shark close.

"That’s right. We should be close enough for Rin to hear us cheering." Makoto-senpai glanced at him. "How are your legs doing?"

"They’re all right. A little sore."

"Would you like me to massage them or anything?"

Rei shook his head no. “We should probably get some sleep. Rin’s event is rather early, isn’t it?”

"That’s true." Makoto-senpai still sounded a bit worried, but he offered Rei a smile anyway. Rei knew he understood that he needed to work his strength back up on his own. "All right. See you in the morning, Rei."

The next morning, they all woke up early, got some breakfast, and headed to the pool. They found their seats, and Rei sat there, cane draped across his lap as he hugged the stuffed shark close to his chest with one arm and held the wrapped gift for Rin carefully in his lap with the other. He was nervous for several reasons. Nervous for Rin because he wanted him to do well, to at least place in the top three. Nervous about finally seeing him after so long. Nervous about how Rin might react to the realization that Rei was actually awake. Nervous about giving him his gift.

The atmosphere was like every meet Rei had been to before added together and multiplied tenfold. The air was filled with excitement. The stakes were high, and there was more than personal achievement on the line for each of the swimmers; they were swimming not just for themselves, but for the pride of their respective countries.

Rei and the others sat through event after event, marveling at the amazing times the swimmers were posting. Finally, it came time for the 200 meter butterfly. Rei felt his chest tighten in apprehension the moment he saw Rin stepping up to the starting block. Nagisa-kun took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Rin was in lane 6, indicating that he’d had the third-fastest qualifying time. That meant he had a good chance of placing.

"Good luck, Rin!" Makoto-senpai yelled.

"You can do it, Rin!" Haruka-senpai added.

"Go, Rin-chan!" Nagisa-kun exclaimed.

Rin smirked, but he didn’t look in their direction. He seemed focused on the starting block in front of him, focused on the race at hand. Rei had been debating since yesterday when the best time was to let Rin know he was there. It could prove to be too much of a distraction if he told him now. Then again, it might push Rin even more to know that Rei was there to cheer him on. When Nagisa-kun nudged his arm, he decided now was as good a time as any.

"Swim for the gold, Rin!" he cried.

Rin’s eyes shot toward him, and for a moment he looked utterly stunned. Then he broke into a broad grin, giving Rei a confident nod. He climbed up onto the starting block and slipped his goggles on. Seconds later, the race started.

For the first 50 meters, Rei forgot to cheer. His eyes were fixed on Rin in complete awe. Rin was  _amazing_. His form was perfect. He looked  _beautiful_. No, better than beautiful:  _utterly gorgeous_. And heavens, he was  _fast_. He would have to be, obviously, to qualify for the Olympics, but Rei had never seen Rin swim like this. It was  _far_ better than when he’d been in the Iwatobi relay at regionals.

It was, quite honestly, the most breathtaking thing Rei had ever seen.

Once the shock finally wore off, he was excited to see that Rin was in second place after the first 50 meters. He joined in with his friends’ cheering. Rin’s turns were perfect, each one helping him gain more ground. As he made the last turn at the end of 150 meters, he’d pulled into first. He was clearly pushing himself hard, but he didn’t seem to be losing speed at all; in fact, he seemed to be  _gaining_  speed! He was closing in on the Olympic record time!

When Rin’s hands hit the wall, Rei and company jumped to their feet, cheering and screaming themselves nearly hoarse. He’d won, and he’d set a new Olympic record! Nagisa-kun threw his arms around Rei in a tight hug while Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai shared an embrace of their own. Rei turned his gaze back to the pool as Rin climbed out of it and stared in disbelief at the results on the board. Some of the other Japanese swimmers who were on deck crowded around him, clapping him on the back and congratulating him. He grabbed his towel and track suit once they calmed down a bit and studied the audience until he spotted Rei.

He made his way toward the stands, stopped briefly by a reporter who he talked to for a mere two minutes before pushing past her. Rei passed off the stuffed shark to Nagisa-kun, grabbed his cane and the gift for Rin, and headed over to meet him. The moment they were close enough, the redhead wrapped him in a tight embrace, tears streaming down his cheeks. As Rin was still dripping with pool water, Rei’s clothing was beginning to grow damp, but he didn’t care.

"I’m so glad you’re here," Rin choked out, holding Rei desperately. "I’m so glad you’re awake."

"You should be focused on yourself, idiot," Rei replied, fighting back his own tears. "You just did something amazing."

"It was all because of you. If you hadn’t convinced me to keep training for this…"

Rei pulled back from the hug, grinning like an idiot, and handed the wrapped gift to Rin. “I got you something.”

Sniffling, Rin ripped the wrapping paper open and failed to stifle a laugh. In his hands was a violet stuffed butterfly. He pulled Rei into a passionate kiss, releasing him after almost a minute.

"You’re such a dork," he said with a smile.

"Don’t you have a medal to receive or something?" Rei asked softly, smiling back.

"Yeah, I guess. Don’t go anywhere, all right? We’ve got a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, we do." Rei pressed a light kiss to Rin’s lips. "Now go stand on that podium. You deserve it."

Wiping his eyes roughly, Rin pulled the stuffed butterfly to his chest and headed in the direction of the podium. The presentation of the medals came after the next few events, and Rei couldn’t have been prouder of Rin.

Especially since he was holding the stuffed butterfly the entire time.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, kudos and/or comments are appreciated! =3


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